'I was scared the seatbelt would release and we'd fall out': Riders tell of their horror at being stuck 65ft in the air for half an hour on the new £12million Alton Towers rollercoaster

I found this story on the Daily Mail Webpage. It talk about how riders were left fearing they may fall out of an Alton Towers rollercoaster today after being left hanging 65ft high in the air for half an hour when it abruptly came to a halt in front of busy Bank Holiday crowds.

A total of 28 people were left hanging face-down on the £12million Air Galactica ride when it ground to a sudden halt in 'absolutely torrential' rain at the top of the first loop of the track at around 2pm.

One rider told how he feared his seatbelt would 'release' and he would plunge to the ground below as he dangled in mid-air, while another said it would've been 'game over' if the harness gave way.

Others said distressed passengers were 'screaming and crying' during the incident which occurred when the ride broke down after allegedly being besieged by floodwater following heavy downpours.

Today's incident comes almost a year after a horrific crash at the same park when two carriages on the multi-million pound Smiler ride collided - seriously injuring five people.

Two teenage passengers - Vicky Balch and Leah Washington - underwent leg amputations after their carriage collided with a stationary car during the incident on June 2 last year.

Three other people were seriously injured in the 50mph crash, which was due to human error.

The attraction was closed for nine months after the horror crash, but it did not stop hundreds of people queuing up to be the first to ride it again once it reopened in March.

Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd, which owns the park, now faces paying a fine that could stretch into the millions after pleading guilty to a safety breach at North Staffordshire Justice Centre in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The theme park firm also accepted that more could have been done to keep the ride-goers safe ahead of the crash, which was caused by human error when staff manning the ride 'overrode' the controlling computer system's actions to stop the £18million flagship attraction.

In the wake of the incident, the company - which has seen more than £750million wiped from its share value - issued a £47million profits warning.

It also said it could be forced to axe up to 190 jobs after visitor numbers plunged in the wake of the rollercoaster crash.